“If you think these things are a radical agenda or don’t match what Iowans expected us to be, Iowans would have disagreed with me for over a decade,” he said.
Republicans used their vast majority in the House and Senate to push many bills through with little or no Democratic support. During the session, Democrats also complained that Republicans refused to ask for masks or report coronavirus infections.
People who worked at the Capitol recognized numerous COVID-19 infections, including Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty, who was infected in late January and stayed sick for weeks. Nielsen said she was infected in the Capitol.
On the topics for which the legislature approved measures:
The tax law passed in the last few days will gradually abolish the state inheritance tax, advance the implementation of an earlier income tax break and shift the costs of psychiatric care from the county property taxes to the state general fund. In the bill, the legislature ends promised payments to cities, counties and school districts to compensate for the property tax revenue lost in 2013 due to a tax break for companies and industry. Democrats claim the decision will ultimately result in local governments cutting their services or raising property taxes.